Some Sunny Day
by Wordmage Kazzidae
Summary: Filia comes to pay her respects at a certain grave.


_On a cliff by a harbour stands a grave. The city around it is big and bustling, but the grave is separated from the nearest street by a sizeable woodland, enough that you could stand by the grave, close your eyes and imagine yourself to be a pioneer charting lands yet undiscovered. A solemn silence lies over the grave, broken only by the occasional songbird; other animals don't seem to go near it, for some reason. The grave itself is the only thing here, standing alone on the grassy promontory that sweeps up out of the forest. It is marked by a headstone with what looks to be a strange carving atop it: a thin draconic creature with wings and fangs. Today the grave is blessed with sunshine and a cool breeze – and a visitor. Two visitors, strictly speaking._

Filia had spent the last hour or so walking the forest looking for likely blooms to add to the bouquet, an activity that had driven Samson to distraction in no time flat. Still, that is the price a macho parasite pays for choosing a female host.

She steadily made her way up to the grave and carefully placed the bouquet thereupon, being careful not to tread on it, and then stared out to sea contemplatively for a few moments. After a while, she spoke.

"Hello again, Leviathan."

There was a series of grumbling and yawning noises as the carving on top of the grave miraculously stirred to life, stretching its wings and looking around for the source of the voice.

"Ah! And a good morning to you, Miss Filia," said Leviathan, his usual sophisticated and chipper self. In a slightly less salubrious tone, he added "Samson."

Filia's hair glared sideways at Leviathan and grunted roughly in acknowledgement, but said nothing else. He'd already received a stern warning from Filia about the consequences of playing up; she was not above using copious amounts of hairspray as a punitive measure.

"I must thank you once again for bringing some fresh flowers: despite my best efforts to remain vigilant, it is sadly only ever a matter of time before I end up sleeping and the wind whisks them away," said Leviathan contritely.

Filia waved a hand languidly. "Don't mention it. It gives me a chance to get away from the city for a while."

"I suppose it does." Leviathan paused for a while. Since Filia seemed absorbed in whatever thoughts lay beyond the horizon, he continued. "Not that I am ungrateful for the company – quite the opposite, in fact – but I confess to being surprised that you visit so regularly. Did my young mistress truly have such an impact on you?"

A quick sideways glance gave Filia's answer long before she spoke, but Leviathan, being a gentleman, waited for the lady to compose herself and give a proper answer.

"She seemed... like the kind of person I'd like to be friends with. Kind, and open-minded."

"Ah." Leviathan drew himself up as if stretching thoughtfully, his coils sliding around against each other. "Are you perhaps referring to..." He struggled with his words momentarily and then sighed in resignation. "Well, there isn't really a delicate way to put it, so I'll just say: the fact that you're supposedly a Medici?"

Filia nodded. "I may be an amnesiac, but I remember some things about the world – specifically, how easily people can turn on each other, especially when they fear for their lives." Filia's eyes cast down into the sea for a moment, her arms crossed and expression pensive. "May I ask a... potentially painful question?"

Leviathan blinked curiously. "You may ask it."

Filia's lips twitched, as though she was rethinking it. In the end, she asked anyway, turning her head to look at Leviathan. "Were you there when Squigly died?"

Leviathan's eyes widened. Then his jaw tightened. "I understand that you wish to be sensitive, Miss Filia, but please do not mince words: milady did not merely die, she was brutally murdered. And yes, I was present when it happened. Why do you ask?"

Filia looked away again, her eyes displaying a sudden sadness that visibly stung at Leviathan's heart, causing him to recoil. Samson sneered derisively, but remained silent.

When Filia spoke, it was very quietly – almost too quietly to be heard over the breeze. "I was just wondering... how did she face death? Was she as graceful as she was when she fought us?"

Leviathan closed his eyes, his wings tented as though he was crossing his arms. As Filia observed him, the minute changes in his expression, she could almost imagine him reliving those memories in his head.

When next Leviathan spoke it was slowly, carefully, choosing his words with prudence. "...While I understand that you mean no offence, this is not a topic that I feel comfortable discussing. In the event that my young mistress returns, please feel free to ask her directly; I am sure she will give you an honest answer, one way or the other. For my part, all I will say is that she has always lived brightly, even in death. That is the kind of person my lady is." Satisfied that his answer had not betrayed his loyalty to his host, Leviathan settled back down onto the grave again.

Samson snorted. "Ass-kisser."

"Samson." Filia did not shout. In fact it was remarkable how quiet she was, considering the effect her voice had on Samson: he shivered momentarily and then was silent again. Leviathan relaxed his death-glare at Samson and turned back to Filia.

"That is my answer. I know it is most likely unsatisfactory to your ears, but-"

Filia shook her head, interrupting Leviathan. "It's okay. In a way, it makes me happier to hear you be true to her, even when she can't hear you. You two really do make good partners." Filia smiled at Leviathan warmly, to which her reacted by waving his tail dismissively in jest.

"Oh, p'shaw; you flatter, Miss Filia. You know I am only doing my duty." The heartfelt smile Leviathan wore spoke otherwise. "I am sure you would do the same for Samson." He left out the vice-versa to this statement, a slight that Samson picked up on, bristling in suppressed anger.

"Please, Levi," said Filia, using the nickname she'd heard Squigly use to command Leviathan's attention and running a hand through her hair to calm Samson. "You promised no sniping in return for Samson's good behaviour."

Leviathan was a little taken aback at Filia's sudden familiarity, but said nothing against it. "...That I did. You have your own reasons for sticking with him. I apologise."

"Accepted." Filia stared out to sea again, remembering the argument they'd had the first time she'd come to Squigly's grave. Leviathan had done his damnedest to talk Filia into giving up Samson, but he never seemed to go into specifics, just the same as when Filia tried to get Samson to explain why he'd chosen to bond with her. Filia knew Leviathan thought she was naive for giving Samson a chance, but after all the two of them had been through together she felt she owed it to him.

"Sorry to bring up a dark topic on such a bright day, but has there been any news of the Skull Heart?"

Filia was brought back to the present by Leviathan's words. "If there has, it hasn't reached me. I'm keeping an eye out-" (Filia paused momentarily, worried that Leviathan might take umbrage on her lady's behalf for such a crude pun, even though it was entirely unintentional; he showed no sign of having noticed so she continued, barely skipping a beat.) "-for anything that might herald its return, but all has been quiet so far."

"Hm." Leviathan relaxed his coils a little. "No news is good news, I suppose. Still, we know it must be out there somewhere, trying to scheme its way into some innocent young maiden's heart."

Filia's face fell. "I'm... not so sure of that."

Leviathan cocked his head in puzzlement. "What do you mean? You know that the Skull Heart never remains destroyed for long: even though we obliterated it, it'll-"

"No, I mean..." Filia paused, a heaviness weighing on her. "The girls it tries to ensnare aren't always so innocent. I like to think of myself as a good person, but I think I would have fallen prey to it had you and Squigly not shown up."

"Come now, you don't know that for certain," said Leviathan, leaning in towards Filia solicitously. "And from what I've seen of you, you _are_ a good person. That's what the Skull Heart does: it poisons you by turning your good intentions to bad, by twisting innocence to suit its own ends. That's why it tends to target girls."

Filia smiled weakly at her own folly, glancing sideways at Leviathan. "You don't need to be so nice to me, you know. I'm tough enough to get over things like this myself."

"Nonsense!" said Leviathan, rearing up proudly. "The being nice part I mean, not that you aren't tough, which I know you are. It is a gentleman's duty to comfort a lady in poor spirits, even if I am already bound to another."

"It's a good thing Squigly's understanding: a lot of the girls I know would get jealous over much less," said Filia, her cheer restored. "But thanks."

Leviathan nodded graciously, settling down. "Besides, the next time we go hunting the Skull Heart, you won't have to worry about its trickery affecting you: you'll have the two of us right by your side. Milady and I shall ensure that no harm befalls you," said Leviathan, shooting Samson a dirty look when Filia wasn't looking. Samson returned it coolly.

"Yes," said Filia distractedly, gazing over the horizon. "However long it takes, we must be vigilant. I just wish..." She trailed off, uncertainty flickering over her face. "I was about to wish that we could find a way to banish the Skull Heart from the world forever, but..."

Leviathan nodded solemnly, understanding the implication. "I feel the same way, Miss Filia, but the dead should rest in peace, as is their right. Rather than mourning the loss of a friendship, celebrate its making. Goodness knows, if events had unfolded in even a slightly different way, the two of you might never have met."

Filia turned to Leviathan. "What will you do if the day comes when Squigly must go to her final resting place?"

"I'll cross that bridge if I have to. Until then, my place is at her side." Leviathan said this with absolutely no hesitation or ceremony, as though it was a truth as eternal as the stars.

After a brief pause, Filia nodded. Somehow, she felt refreshed in a way that the sea breeze alone couldn't account for.

"...And, if it makes any difference," said Leviathan, looking up at Filia, "I am certain that milady looks forward to seeing you again too."

Filia's expression was perfectly still for quite a few seconds, deliberately unreadable.

Then she said, "Loyalty is a fine thing."

And then she left.

Leviathan watched her go, a little thrown by the abruptness of her departure, such that even Samson's glares had little effect.

Once he was sure that the visitors had left and would not be immediately returning, Leviathan swooped down from the headstone to gently scoop up the flowers in his coils. That done, he raised the earth of the grave so that he could open the coffin.

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but we've got another bouquet from your adoring public," said Leviathan, smiling as he laid the flowers down inside the coffin alongside Squigly, his wings spread to shade her from the sun's harsh light. The girl's body was relatively small in comparison to the coffin, but even so a fair amount of the remaining space had been filled up with flowers, all as fresh as the day they'd been picked. There'd be no more decomposing, not on Leviathan's watch: when his mistress returned to the mortal plane she would be greeted by the sweet scent of wildflowers – and, more importantly, not missing any further body parts.

Leviathan took a moment to admire Squigly's resting form, as he often did on such occasions. She really did look as though she was simply sleeping and would soon be up and about again, filling the world with grace and song as she had always done.

Smiling softly at the memory of happier times, Leviathan replaced the coffin lid and the earth above it such that the grave appeared undisturbed. He settled back into his accustomed position above the grave, wings spread and fangs bared, and waited.

'_Until we meet again.'_


End file.
